A Voice that touched every soul

Mohd Rafi Portrait being handed over by Artist C.S. Pant to Binu Nair of Rafi Foundation

It’s rare that a singer’s giant sized pictures are splashed on giant bill boards and hoardings three decades after his moving away from us.

Yes friends. It’s Dec 24th. The smiling picture of Badshah-E-Mausiqui Mohd Rafi Sahib looms across Mumbai Suburbs on the occasion of his 87th birth anniversary celebration which will honor ‘Chaudvin Ka Chand Ho’ composer Ravi Sahib along with another Co-singer going by the name Shailendra Singh.

The musical event will be held at Rangsharada at Bandra and hosted by Ashish Shelar, Corporator and avid Mohd Rafi Lover.

“Artists Never Die” said a Mohd Rafi enthusiast the other day showing some sketches of the legendary singer.

Audience in applause at the Shaam E Rafi Sahib show at Mumbai

He was echoing the feelings of millions of fans who think Mohd Rafi is still around entertaining them with his time-less melodies.

Even today 70% of all old songs played by various radio stations are Rafi songs – proving the uninterrupted popularity of music creations.

Mohd Rafi songs sounds so easy when you listen to them but its complications realized only when one tries to copy them says G.B. Mathur who has arranged several musicals in the capitol.

Anchor Vinayak Shinde in full flow

“Each of Rafi songs carries his signature. It’s like software that can’t be hijacked. Many singers are trying to copy the soul of his songs without much success” adds Mathur sahib.

Mohd Rafi – was known as a paragon of virtues and God’s own emissary in many ways. Tales of his generosity, singing prowess and glittering career are far too well known to mention a repetition. Even the best of platitudes will fall short when we talk of Rafi Sahib.

Such was Rafi’s perfection that when Filmfare used to have a single award for the Best Singer, he won it more times than legendary Lata Mangeshkar.

And, in the “tel maalish ” song it was felt that Johnny Walker was himself singing the Sar Jo Tera Chakraaye number.

Binu Nair, founder Rafi Foundation greeting Ajay Madan Mohan

Says Naushad Sahib : At the recording of Baiju Bawra, Rafi Sahib left the audience flabbergasted by climbing one note higher in the climax of ‘Oh duniya ke rakhwale‘ towards the end. The audience was too stunned to even clap as the singer gave a mind boggling demonstration of lung power and breathe control.

If music is the poetry of life, Rafi’s voice is the flame that soothened our soul. The versatile voice moved from the deep yellow mustard fields of Punjab to large territorial landscapes across continents – never stopping or tiring itself during the glorious four plus decade of a singing career.

The voice burns continuously on CD Players, heard on iPods and radios, at road side dhabas and tea stalls, at night clubs and college canteens, stirring millions of forgotten memories in private rooms and evoking devotion at puja pandals.

Mohd Rafi is still there. Still conquering hearts – in this age of meaningless shors dished in the name of music in the times of hard selling clones, 24 hour ear hurting blitzkrieg from the FM blaring out loud-and-leud Punjabi Pop, “amidst” the mediocre stuff being rolled out week after week.

The Dj’s and RJ’s thrive on Rafi songs. Singers, musicians, music companies live off them.

Even foreign companies could not resist the temptation of using a Mohd Rafi number. The Dutch, makers of Heineken drink recently used it for advertising their product in far-away English speaking America.

The song : Jaan Pehchaan Ho from Gumnaam with music by Shankar Jaikishan recorded some four decades back.

During the heady days of soulful golden era music, several heroes and character artists depended on the Rafi grace to shoulder their careers. There was a Rafi clause written in various music agreements by prime actors.

An entire industry sang in the vocals of one man. An entire generation was set aflame by one-voice-many-faceted Mohammad Rafi.

Mohd Rafi Portrait being handed over by Artist C.S. Pant to Binu Nair of Rafi Foundation

Any other nation would have been proud to brand Mohd Rafi as their most notable and noble citizen. Any other country – would have knighted Mohd Rafi with their highest award.

Alas, not our country. Bharat Ratna for Mohd Rafi seems to be too far away as politicians , lobby-sits and string pullers wish to garner it for their masters.

Innumerable music lovers have therefore decided to keep their hero Badshah-E-Mausiqui Mohd Rafi well entrenched in their hearts. And, gone one step ahead and declared him as their “Bharat Ka Ratna”.

50 Blog Comments to “A Voice that touched every soul”

Nice article-thanks!
I agree there are lots of people who have come and gone in droves trying hard to imitate and copy the great mohd rafi but without much success.If it was that easy we would have thousands of mohd rafi juniors by now but it’s very important to remember that just because the late great mohd rafisahab made his songs sound effortless his songs most definately were not. He could sing all types of songs/ghazals/qawaalis and had a range with his voice like no other which I’m sure lots of artists have realized and that’s why so many singers like sonu nigam respect him so much.

Thank you very much for providing such good moments of GREAT RAFI SAHAB and best of luck for RAFI Foundation. Whenever our help is required , pl inform.
Sir if you have any clippings of RAFI SAHAB live program in Pakistan where RAFI SAHAB performed songs in a very very different way alongwith Krishna Mukherji. I will be very greatful to you.

Suhana safar ji… i have not got your mail. Possibly re-send it or pls do call me.

as my friend pointed out, mohd rafi works are debated, discussed and heard by his legion of fans.
this indeed will be unstoppable.

yesterday at the dev anand musical held in mumbai a small lad of 19 years on stage was there who sang two rafi songs and immediately struck a chord with the audiences. he sings new songs but approached us and we gave him two mohd rafi songs : ‘Khoya Khoya chaand ‘ and ‘Kabhi na Kabhi kahin na kahin’.

mr vaibhav vashista is the lad who made a name for himself and the golden era of mohd rafi songs. this is the boy to be ‘watched’ for rafi saaheb songs.
the audience were mesmerised and there was an ‘encore’

we wish him the very best from the rafi foundation and he will be there in our forthcoming mohd rafi musicals.

Naam tho badnaam hota hai. Ha Ha…I feel very pleased that good and decent people like you are involved with Rafi foundation.

I have sent you and email, that will tell you more about me. Many people know me as Suhana and many have used this nickname to bring me down but like Rafisaab, even his fans are always on the top and overcome all propoganda and lies.

The songs of rafi are forever. The rafi magic never stops and with time gets stronger and younger.
The world of music and singing would never be the same if not for Rafisaab. The fact is that Rafi’s voice has become a part of this universe and will remain till the last day.

Rafisaab’s magic lives even today, and the rate at which it is catching on it is a foregone conclusion he will live on as the best world has seen. More than 1 million hits on a simple youtube add on heineken has created the hysteria amongst Americans and world over, and it has only just started. A great amount of credit also goes to Rafians like Binu Nair, P Haldar, MYK and other Rafians (I can’t write all other names). I consider myself lucky to have been born an Indian.

Binu Sir, shame i have never met you. I was recently in India and it was great to see Rafisaabs boards all over.

I have seen with every year passing the Rafi magic and following just keeps increasing. I visited a records store in Mumbai and did not see any Rafi CD’s and I was upset and told the owner that a music shop without Rafi’s songs is like a garden without flowers.

he smiled and said, sirji, they get all sold out as soon as they come. Rafisaab is truly immortal.

Congratulations to Mr. Bajpai. for a baby boy born on the b’day of Rafi saheb i.e. on 24th DEC. It is really coinidental and let us hope another Rafi saheb fan in the making and will further take the work of Rafi saheb to newer generations. May God Bless him

mohd rafi is the greatest ever indian born and every community may want to “own” him.

when he sang bhajans some groups were not very happy with it its mentioned. even i heard a friend telling the same thing.

in a vast country such as ours, such outbursts can be expected and need to be tolerated or taken in from one ear and sent out from another.

the fact remains that mohd rafi belongs to all. he would talk of ramayana more than many a hindu would do says our rafi friend mr sharad vykool. he says that mohd rafi saaheb was godly in every respect.

so let’s enjoy the works of this godly person who was sent by gods for a specific purpose. lets celebrate his works…

sir, somebody has commented since rafi saheb is a muslim it is hard for him to receive Bharat Ratna. It is a very negative statement I condemn such a statement i had condemned such a statement in Kishore forum also and asked the administrator of that forum to remove it. Such a comment should have been removed from this forum also . Does our forum believe in such kind of statements. Does that person not know A vast majority of Hindus treat him as their god and have made temple for him. Has anywhere in any part of the world such a thing happened where the photograph of a Muslim is in temple. Here in India we love Rafi Saheb and music has no religion and Rafi saheb is the god of Music. Don’t create differences like politicians. Music Unites all of us. Rafi saheb was such a humble person all of us know he always had respect for every religion and if we are his true bhakts we should never indulge in such talks.In fact he sang bhajans for every religion. People of this country have already awarded him and placed him in their heart permanently and there is no need for any Sarkari Award.
Long live India Long live Indian Music Long Live RAFI SAHEB.

I liked the statement by Mr.G B Pant.. Rafisaab’s songs look simple but very very complex when tried by others.. There are people who compare other singers with Rafisaab… But all of them do not have one thing… Rafisaab’s voice… The voice of God..

yourself n hans – all your great feelings of rafi sahab, though i share, is useless – cause – these scoundrels ( rajneetiwaaley ) are falling head over heels to confer the highest civilian award of india to a 40 year old chap ( though i love him too ).

After reading your write-up, the only word that comes to my mind is ‘excellent’. Please accept my hearty compliments for coming up with such brilliant piece. Hours after reading the article, sentences “If music is the poetry of life, Rafi’s voice is the flame that soothened our soul” or “Each of Rafi songs carries his signature. It’s like software that can’t be hijacked. Many singers are trying to copy the soul of his songs without much success” kept lingering on my though process. How true and how beautifully presented.

Hansji (Post 4)

Aapne mere munh ki baat cheen li. I feel precisely the same (that Rafi saab’s popularity, his fan following is increasing). Recently I was conversing with a relative of mine whom I knew as some one who rejoices modern dance numbers and is always willing to shake a leg on such songs at parties etc. Our conversation which normally is centered around family matters took a different turn this time and touched the topic of music. What he told was something pleasantly surprising. He said that every night before sleeping he listens to old film songs especially of Mohammed Rafi. He said,”Rafi saab ke gaane sun lo to aaj kal kaa ye sab bekaar lagta hai. Unke gaane kaanon se hote hue seedhe dil mein utar jate hain…”. Remarkable, it was, coming from a person who was trying to match dancing steps with young crowd just an hour back on ‘ooo la la la…’

Mohammad Rafi’s birth anniversary falls on December 24 (b 1924) and Naushad’s on December 25 (b 1919). This close proximity also extended to their music. Rafi was to playback singing what Naushad was to music composing – both at the commanding heights of their profession for over two decades. Their collaboration produced some of the best and most memorable music of the Golden Era.

i posted the following message in the other thread ‘rafi and dev magic lingers on’. actually it should have been posted here.

“here in rohtak rafi sahab’s birthday is being celebrated in an open stage – in a cold amawasya night – with lesser known singers singing his songs like door rehkar, hui sham unka, suhani raat dhal chuki etc. with nominal local orchestra. neither is their singing anywhere near the great legend, but the real thing is the heart-felt love for him.

actually his popularity is gaining day by day in my opinion. every rafi lover remembers him daily and 24th december is only just a special day. thats all.”

binu ji you are doing really great work right in the heart of film nagari.